Wednesday, March 28, 2007
TUESDAY 27 MARCH 07-- STRONG WINDS AND SLOPPY SEAS ON S.F. BAY
After Monday's heavy rains, winds were howling all night long, and were still blowing strongly in the afternoon.
We left port a bit after 3 pm, under partly cloudy skies, raised single reefed main, and put out small jib before heading out into the central bay, where earlier ebb current, combined with the strong winds, had stirred up some large wind waves.
We sailed out to the northwest a bit, then tacked back toward pier 39 to ride rather than buck a freighter wake, but then, as we approached the pier, we had to tack back into the wake and crash through it. We kept beating to the west, taking on spray, sailing through calmer and windier areas with some strong gust alleys.
Behind us the city was in sunshine, but the air was hazy-- not real clear and vivid like it usually is after a heavy rain the day before.
Ahead of us, Mt. Tam and Sausalito were also locked in haze.
Except for the freighters, the only company we had on the bay were a couple of sand dredges, like this one operating north of the outbound sea land.....
....and this inbound tug pulling a large barge.
Winds were shifty, sometimes northwesterly and sometimes westerly, and while northwesterly, we were sailing directly toward the gate, but into the teeth of some sharp ocean swells, that we dare not continue sailing through because the bow would crash down on the back side of the sharp swells. This and the waxing flood current impeded our progress toward the the gate.
Eventually, we were joined on the bay by this jib-only sailboat that was crossing the central bay from north to south.
We gave up on shooting the gate and headed back toward home port, pulling out the jib to full for more power. Alcatraz was enjoying sunshine as we passed to the south of the island....
...but because of the strong, cold winds, there were no people walking around on the island like there usually are when the weather is nicer.
The city was still locked in hazy sunshine as we approached home port.
\\\\
After Monday's heavy rains, winds were howling all night long, and were still blowing strongly in the afternoon.
We left port a bit after 3 pm, under partly cloudy skies, raised single reefed main, and put out small jib before heading out into the central bay, where earlier ebb current, combined with the strong winds, had stirred up some large wind waves.
We sailed out to the northwest a bit, then tacked back toward pier 39 to ride rather than buck a freighter wake, but then, as we approached the pier, we had to tack back into the wake and crash through it. We kept beating to the west, taking on spray, sailing through calmer and windier areas with some strong gust alleys.
Behind us the city was in sunshine, but the air was hazy-- not real clear and vivid like it usually is after a heavy rain the day before.
Ahead of us, Mt. Tam and Sausalito were also locked in haze.
Except for the freighters, the only company we had on the bay were a couple of sand dredges, like this one operating north of the outbound sea land.....
....and this inbound tug pulling a large barge.
Winds were shifty, sometimes northwesterly and sometimes westerly, and while northwesterly, we were sailing directly toward the gate, but into the teeth of some sharp ocean swells, that we dare not continue sailing through because the bow would crash down on the back side of the sharp swells. This and the waxing flood current impeded our progress toward the the gate.
Eventually, we were joined on the bay by this jib-only sailboat that was crossing the central bay from north to south.
We gave up on shooting the gate and headed back toward home port, pulling out the jib to full for more power. Alcatraz was enjoying sunshine as we passed to the south of the island....
...but because of the strong, cold winds, there were no people walking around on the island like there usually are when the weather is nicer.
The city was still locked in hazy sunshine as we approached home port.
\\\\
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 8:56 PM 
